JA4 - The Mark of the Crown

Jedi Apprentice - book 4

'The Mark of the Crown' by Jude Watson

Published by Scholastic Books 1999

Set 12 years before TPM

Story -- Set directly after book 3, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are sent on a mission to the planet Gala to oversee the first democratic elections there. During the build-up to the elections, political intrigue and machinations are thick on the ground and, of course, the Jedi are quickly caught up in Gala's problems.

Movie characters -- Obi is written well, but Qui-Gon seems somewhat less 'powerful' in this book. Or maybe he was just distracted. Either way, he could do with some work on 'the living Force', as he doesn't seem to sense duplicity, dishonesty, etc.

New characters -- other characters are still a bit 'two-dimensional', as the book is too short to go into any depth. Queen Vida has called the elections, and her son Prince Beju (met him briefly in book 3) is ticked off that he won't inherit the crown. Also introduces Elan, a female character who lives among the hill people. The various minor characters are nicely done - you never quite know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

Cover art -- Qui-Gon doing the 'mystic Jedi' thing. And a bloomin' great glowing crown - can't miss it at the bookstore!

Chicks -- Queen Vida is very ill but still wields the power of the monarchy. Elan is a very strong female character - possibly unbelievably strong, as she's brilliant at everything she does.

Any good? -- not the best, in my opinion. Still better written than JA2, but the logic in some places seemed a little forced. It was interesting to see Qui thinking about his life as a Jedi, but I find it unlikely that he'd have any doubts about his calling this far on in his life. There are also a couple of nice action scenes, which may be hard for younger readers to follow.

Read it? -- not sure it adds anything to the whole series.

Rating -- 5 out of 10 (as a kid's book)

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